Barrafina

There’s an agreeable slickness and bustle about Sam and Eddie Hart’s sleek new tapas bar. Unless you eat here outside regular mealtimes, there will be a queue (check it out on the webcam!), but staff work hard at keeping waiting diners happy, giving them updates on length of wait and plying them with drinks. Once you’re seated at the L-shaped bar (which, apart from the kitchen and grill area behind it, pretty much constitutes the whole shebang), the fun really starts. Everything we tried was a masterclass in quality ingredients simply prepared to maximum effect – except a batch of strangely flavoured clams. Staff disagreed with us about the unpleasantness of the flavour, but didn’t hesitate to take the dish off the bill. All other choices from a very appealing menu were hoovered up with enthusiasm. Standouts were a flavour-packed chickpea, spinach and bacon dish, and a light-as-air crema catalana. All tapas favourites are present and correct: pimientos de padrón, pan con tomate, various tortillas and glorious sliced meats (chorizo ibérico, jamón de jabugo, salchichón). Far more fun than the Hart brothers’ previous venture, Fino , though prices are similarly eye-widening; the meats on the £10.50 cold meat platter, for example, were top-notch but very thinly sliced indeed.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008

Services:

Booking: Booking not accepted
Child facilities: Babies and children admitted
Outdoor tables: 4, pavement

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Latest user reviews

Excellent Spanish food, well done and authentic. Definitely one of my favourite Spanish restaurants in town. The charcuterie selection is great although too thinly sliced for the price so I'd go for some of the other choices. The price tag is a bit high, especially given that you'll normally have... [More]
Carlos Baez  Feb 6 2008